


Almost Human

by AllOfTimeNSpace



Series: Almost Human [1]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:41:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25729108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllOfTimeNSpace/pseuds/AllOfTimeNSpace
Summary: Quinn is alone--lost in the cave systems of Vulgana VII and without her memory. Trying her best just to stay alive, she is close to giving up when she meets Lieutenant Commander Data of the Starship Enterprise. Although she has no clue what Starfleet or the Enterprise even is--surprising to Data, given that almost everyone in the Universe has heard of Starfleet--Data reassures her that the Enterprise's crew will care for her, once the ship can get to them at least.Constant radiation storms that transmissions can't go through and only Data can withstand mean that the Enterprise, who dropped Data off to examine strange energy readings from the nearly inhabitable planet, won't be in contact with Data for another five days, which also begs another question: how has Quinn survived?
Relationships: Data (Star Trek) & Original Female Character(s), Data (Star Trek)/Original Female Character(s), William Riker/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Almost Human [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1866304
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	Almost Human

Quinn wasn't sure how much time it had been since she'd seen another living being. The rock walls of the cave systems had become her constant companions. Her life had become painted with hues of brown, red, and if she was lucky, yellow. 

Thankfully, she somehow knew how to start a fire. She didn't remember ever learning how, but somehow the information stuck with her even when her other memory had ran away. Her mind drew blanks when it came to personal information: where she'd come from, where she belonged, where or who she even was. She remembered her name. It was Quinn. But as far as personal information, that's about as much as she knew. 

Quinn let out a long sigh as she used a stick and notched piece of wood to start a fire, rubbing her hands together as fast as she could. She'd gotten quite good at the technique. She knew there were many other easier ways to start fires, but the stick was all she had available. Flint and steel had to be mined. She didn't have any equipment for that endeavor, although building some if she could was on her list if she were to be here awhile. 

She blew carefully on the smoking wood and brought over some tinder. It was the last of her supply. It had been storming lately--both horrible radiation storms and regular rain. She knew that humans couldn't survive radiation, which niggled her mind as to how she seemed to be impervious to it. The only explanations were that she either wasn't human and simply appeared it--humanoid, that would make her--or she had grown up in an irradiated environment. She didn't know enough about herself to answer either conjecture, so she had stopped thinking about it and instead thanked her stars that the radiation didn't seem to bother her. 

A small fire sprang up in the tinder pile, giving Quinn at least a small reason to smile. The size of the fire barely was enough to keep anyone warm, but Quinn didn't seem to mind the chill. She felt that it was cold, and knew that the temperature would cause the average human to get sick or be uncomfortable, but she'd already established that she wasn't an average human. 

At least she knew that much about herself. 

She stared into the tunnel, towards the opening of the cave. Still the thunder boomed on outside, bolts of lightning lighting up her surroundings even this far into the caves. Quinn found it beautiful, despite it being a hindrance. While she was impervious to radiation and catching a chill, she still would rather not be on the receiving end of a lightning bolt. 

It wasn't until a few hours later that the storm faded and Quinn thought it safe enough to go outside. Two more strange things: she never felt hungry, and she never felt thirsty. She knew that humans needed to consume water and food in order to properly function, in order to even stay alive, but they weren't necessities. She'd tried eating. A poor small mammal resembling a squirrel had found its unfortunate end as her dinner after being killed and cooked over a fire, and it had tasted pretty good. She imagined that other food--real food--probably tasted even better, but nothing in her surroundings interested her, and she'd rather not kill another animal if she didn't have to. It seemed barbaric. 

Quinn picked up some particularly interesting stones that she found, shoving them in the pockets of her pants. She was thankful that her clothes--wherever she'd gotten them or put them on--were at least comfortable. The pants were soft linen, striped brown and white and cuffed at the ankle, her shirt was some kind of cotton blend and a brown that matched her pants, and her shoes, an insoles pair of sneakers, were surprisingly stylish as well as sensible and had her name written on the tongue. She wondered what adult wrote their name on the tongues of their shoes. It seemed stupid, but it said that she was possessive of her things, perhaps even sentimental about these shoes, and it told her that she had a name. 

Stuffing another interesting rock in her pocket, this one a rich green, she decided to walk back to the cave. She didn't need sleep--she'd figured that out in an experiment where she'd stayed up four nights in a row and mentally tracked her cognitive functions-- but she liked to relax and dream. 

As Quinn stepped into the mouth of the cave, she knew instantly something was wrong. Fresh footprints marred the dirt floor of the cave entrance and led into the tunnels, right towards her little home. Holding her breath, she followed the prints as far as they would lead, right up until she was met face to face with a strange man in a yellow shirt, only Quinn wasn't sure he was a man at all, at least not a human one. His eyes shone a rich amber in the dim light of her fire and his skin had a yellowish tint. 

"Who are you? How did you get here?" Quinn asked, her voice scratchy from disuse. She cleared her throat and placed her hands on her hips, hoping to look intimidating. From the not-man's stature, she could tell he could easily take her down. 

"My name is Lieutenant Commander Data of the Federation Starship Enterprise. I was beamed down by my vessel." His eyes--Data's eyes--tracked Quinn's every move with a meticulous scrutiny, almost as if he were sizing her up. She opted to crossing her arms in front of her chest, suddenly feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. "May I inquire about your presence on Vulgana VII, as well?" 

His words surprised her. Vulgana VII. She knew the planet. Information about its atmosphere, topography and inhabitants--barely any, horrible, and none--sprang to mind, and suddenly she realized his confusion for her being here. She had no ship, at least not that he could see, and the atmosphere was highly irradiated. 

"You're not human," she said, tilting her head as she studied him. "No human would be able to survive the radiation here." 

"That is correct. I am an android. But, as no human would be able to survive on Vulgana VII, I must conclude that you are also not human, and I have also noticed that you haven't answered my previously posed inquiry. I will not harm you, I can assure you of that." 

Quinn looked Data over once more. She didn't sense any lie in his voice. She hadn't seen anyone living in as long as she could remember, and even if he was an android, Data seemed to be able to hold conversation. With a sigh, she slumped against the wall of the cave until her butt hit the floor. 

"Are you feeling fatigued? I can allow you to rest before further inquiry takes place," Data asked, crouching down to her level. As she met his golden eyes, she giggled to herself. He had an innocence about him that humans didn't have. The tilt of his head somehow made her stomach flutter. 

"No, I'm not tired...." She paused, wondering if she should continue before deciding there was no harm in telling him about herself. He said he was from a ship, and a ship meant people--civilization! Maybe they could help. "I don't really get tired, or fatigued as you put it." 

Data's eyes searched the floor beneath him. 

"What are you doing?" Quinn asked. 

Data's gaze snapped up. "I am processing. My information banks indicate that almost all lifeforms require sleep in some capacity and get fatigued when they do not rest. There are only a few known exceptions to this rule: synthetic life forms and Q." 

Quinn stiffened, her muscles suddenly tensing at his words. A sharp breath escaped her lips. Q. What was that?

"What is that?" She asked, her fists slowly clenching. 

"What is what?" Data paused, looking Quinn up and down. "You seem distressed." 

"What is a... Q?" Her head ached the more she thought about it--an innocent letter, but she knew it meant much more. 

"Q is an omnipotent life-form and is a known member of the Q Continuum, a species comprised of other individuals such as himself." 

"Q." Quinn tasted the letter. A bitter taste filled her mouth, so she decided to move on. First she needed to find out more about Data and the Enterprise. 

"What is your name?" Data suddenly asked, surprising Quinn. She didn't know that androids could be so curious, or so lifelike for that matter. If Data had a traditionally human eye color and skin, he would almost be human. 

"It's Quinn," she replied, picking at dirt under her fingernails. Suddenly she realized what rough shape she must be in. Of course she washed up in the lake frequently, and she did like to swim, but her clothes had rips beyond belief and her hair, long and an almost ethereal shade of light golden blonde, was probably matted and a mess. Finger combing only helped so much. 

"Quinn. It is... pleasant to meet you. I was sent to this planet to investigate extremely strong energy readings localized to this area. Do you know what could be the cause of such readings?" 

"I've never known androids to be so... charming," Quinn said with a giggle. "Your programming in social pleasantries is rather impressive. But no, I've no idea about any strange energy. When did it happen? I've been here for awhile." She nodded towards the notches on the cave wall. "12 days to be exact." 

"The energy bursts occurred exactly 12 days, six hours, 42 minutes and 11 seconds ago." 

Quinn shifted. The ground wasn't a comfortable spot to sit. "Why'd you guys wait so long to check it out?" 

"The captain wanted to be sure that no further energy fluctuations would happen following the first, as an energy anomaly such as that could damage my circuitry." 

"If you could get hurt then why would your captain send you down here? It's just some weird thing that happened. Why bother with investigating?" Quinn asked, suddenly angry that the captain would send one of his crew into unnecessary danger. 

"The Enterprise is a ship of exploration," Data explained. "And I cannot get 'hurt', as you suggest. I have no feeling. My circuitry could get damaged, which would cause a force shut-down of my systems, but repairs would be made and I would be restored to normal function." 

Quinn looked at the dwindling fire longingly. She could barely see Data's face in the small amount of light left. "What do you mean you have no feeling?"

"I mean that I am devoid of all emotion. I do not feel or experience emotion, although it has been my life's mission to do so." 

"That's kind of sad..." Quinn muttered. 

"I appreciate your sentiment, although I do not find it sad, as I cannot experience the emotion of sadness." 

Quinn made a noise and cleared her throat, the conversation dwindling to an awkward pause as the fire dwindled to embers. "I guess I'll hit the sack," Quinn said, rubbing her arms. 

Data looked around the room, tilting his head in question at Quinn's words, she presumed. "What sack is there that you wish to hit?" 

Quinn laughed and shook her head. "No, Data, it's an expression. Hit the sack is a metaphor for go to sleep." 

"Ah, that is understandable, although your prior statement that you do not need sleep is contradictory to your current words." 

A blush covered Quinn's cheeks as she considered Data's words. "Yea, that's true. I don't really need sleep, but I do like to dream." 

"I do, as well." Data cast a glimpse towards the front of the cave. The light had dissapeared, and the fire had gone out. Data, being able to see in the dark, hadn't realized how dark it had gotten. He was reluctant to leave Quinn alone in the caves, and she didn't seem to be able to see in the dark, so exploring the planet for remnants of the energy signature was out of the question. Data considered briefly the possibility that Quinn was an android like himself. They both dreamed, but didn't need sleep. Quinn seemed unaffected by both the cold of the planet and the radiation, as was Data. 

"Quinn, do you find it necessary to consume food or water?" Data asked. 

"No, why?" She asked, finally laying down on her moss pillow. She propped her head up on her hand and tried to study Data in the near complete darkness. 

"Because I also do not need to eat, drink, or sleep, and am also impervious to radiation and temperature, as seems to be the case with yourself. I have formed the hypothesis that you are an android like myself. Although I do not see how this is possible, because as far as my extensive knowledge base extends, my brother and I are the only androids of our kind. I am also unsure of how you came to be on this planet, as I see no vessel. Is there anything you can inform me of your arrival?"

Throughout his speech, Quinn had nearly begun to dip into a dream. She arched an eyebrow as she considered his words. "You think I'm an android?" 

"That is one of my hypotheses. Would you like to hear the 132 others?" 

Quinn snuggled into her moss pillow, the earthy smell filling her nose and comforting her slightly. She loved the smell of the outside world--or rather the world outside her caves. The caves were useful because they provided shelter from the storms, but the dusty, dark interior was rather dreary. "How would we test it?" She mumbled, curling her legs up to her body. 

Data started to speak, but Quinn had already begun to sink into her dreams.


End file.
